xpertsnowcarver

This is my unbaised review of Zerolift Autolab.

Note: From what I understand, Zerolift Autolab has been under new management since April 2010.



Representative: Robert
AIM: ZLR0bert
Email: [email protected]

Vendor Information:
Zerolift Autolab
100 Security Dr.
Fairfield, OH 45014
513-874-2508

Item purchased: S15 SR20DET Motorset

Communication: 71 PMs total between us.

Shipping: From Farfield, Oh to Commerce, Ca via ABF took six days, including the Christmas weekend.

Cost of purchase: $2700 (Shipped)

Items purchased:
- S15 engine
- OEM turbo, manifold, and elbow
- OEM MAF, Clutch fan
- ECM, ABS C/U (With this, I won't need a velocity signal modulator.)
- Engine Harness
- 6 Speed Transmission
- OEM clutch kit, dual-mass flywheel





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Full commentary:
Looking for a S15 half clip or S15 motorset, depending on the price. Out of 14 inquiries, Zerolift Autolab offered the best price, shipped, for the parts provided.

Out of six S15 motorsets to choose from, I was able to get pick of the litter. Robert took the time to send me a picture of each motorset. I was able to confirm that each picture was recently taken by looking through the picture's properties.

I requested a lot of information from Robert, regarding the guarantee of a good engine, what exactly comes with the motorset, shipping process, what damage is expected during shipping, insurance etc. Robert had a quick, confident, and sincere answer for each question.

Answers:
- Engines are leak down tested. Results range from 5-15%.
- Shipped via LTL Freight shipment (Such as ABF or Road Runner)
- Bill of Lading and Pro Number provided once shipped
- No damage should be expected during shipment
- Shipment is covered with insurance for the amount of purchase

I had Robert send me a preliminary invoice stating the engine serial number and list the parts that would come with the engine.

I made the payment over the phone and provide very specific shipping instructions. I asked Robert to provide me an Invoice showing the amount paid in full, signed my Robert himself, as well as a copy of the Bill of Lading for the shipment.

The motorset was wrapped tightly with black saran wrap. The engine and transmission were placed side by side and steel-banded to the pallet. The motorset was shipped via ABF. Total shipping time was six days, including the Christmas weekend.

The motorset appears to be in great shape. Unfortunately, it did not come with the BOV nor the wastegate solenoid, though most motorsets will not have them included.

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Last words:
Robert was on the ball. He did not give me any problems and maintained communication, which was my biggest concern. Robert took less than 24 hours to answer every PM, some with minutes.

The customer service I received was above average. Robert followed all my requests.

Therefore, I do recommend Zerolift Autolab for the purchase of a motorset.

__________________

My YouTube Channel

chaotix

Representative: Robert
AIM: ZLR0bert
Email: [email protected]

Vendor Information:
Zerolift Autolab
100 Security Dr.
Fairfield, OH 45014
513-874-2508

After a good amount of research and nothing but good reviews I decided to go ahead and order a complete s13 sr20det swap everything included from Zerolift. They offered me the best price out of everyone plus they had an awesome discount for the holidays which i couldn't pass on everything came out to $1,775 and that's with the shipping INCLUDED for a motor which is in excellent condition! I ordered it right after Christmas Rob was there to take my call walk me through the process it was very nice and I was amazed by the customer service he gave me. On top of all this he was nice enough to give me a MAF Adapter and a filter because the shipping company didn't ship during New Years which is understandable it wasn't his fault and it was pretty AWESOME for him to do that. On top of all that he even went out of his way to order a brand new Fan Shroud for $35 1/3 of the price i have seen around.
Anyways this is another happy customer giving a thanks and spreading the word.
Products: A+ Engine is exceptional 5% leak down tested on each cylinder!!
Customer Service: A+ Rob is a very patient person and goes out of his way for every customer including me mind you we mustve exchanged 50+ emails in a matter of 4 days
Shipping: A+ tightly wrapped and strapped to the pallet I don't think the engine and trans moved a centimeter since it left his warehouse
I highly recommend Zerolift to anyone that needs an engine or even needs a little advice because Rob is there to answer all your questions.

if anyone needs any pictures of the engine I am more than willing to upload them or send them to you guys

mrflip69

So it looks like the old thread was deleted again. Plenty of bad reviews in the last one, AND the one before, and I'm still on this board, so to make it fair, I'll post MY experiences with them.

http://zilvia.net/f/group-buys/23903...e-order-2.html
http://zilvia.net/f/group-buys/24007...ricing-10.html

Links up above for reference, though those will probably get "lost" like the old review thread. When I originally placed an order for SSR wheels in March of 09, they were fully paid for. I understand these are custom made wheels and with overseas shipping, would take some time to arrive (3-6 months?).

They had spotty communication at best up till September, when they just stopped replying to my e-mails. This was with Robert who is still with the company. I had to open up a dispute and was almost SOL with my credit card company since it had been so long since the transaction occurred.

I explained the situation regarding why so much time had elapsed, and LUCKILY was able to get them to investigate and subsequently reverse the charges. Imagine being out $2200 and not even have jack SHIT to show for that?

I don't care about other people's good experiences, this was MY experience, and there were at least 2-3 others who had the same. Shame those reviews were deleted, but you can find more poor reviews since 2008 about these guys on other forums. Just search "Zerolift" or "Zero Lift" on Google as they've changed their name a couple times.

Maybe Google has the old Zilvia review page cached somewhere. I'll see if I can dig that up.

Edit:

http://zilvia.net/f/businesses/15183...t-autolab.html

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I<3Panda86

I have made several trips to ZL with my friend, they are doing a complete rebuild and about 10k worth of upgrades to his RB26, so naturally he wanted to check the shop out first, I personally spent several hours at they're facility talking and bs'ing with Robbert and another gentleman, (I dont recall his name though) from the experience, I had, meeting the guys and seeing theyr shop, personally I will NOT deal with anyone BUT them for any future purchases on the EC.

__________________
1985 Corolla GT-S
1993 S13 vert

DHall243

Called Zerolift around 3pm 2/25/11, talked to Anthony, had a family member pass away from Ohio and figured if my engine hadn't shipped I'd pick it and another up. I planned to leave work at 1pm but that plan failed, I asked anthony if someone could stick around for an extra hour because I wouldn't make it by closing. He answered with a, yes.
8pm I pull up to Zerolift and Robert walks out the door with motor #1 palletized and ready to go, motor #2 was layed out waiting, for payment.

There was another guy who's name I didn't catch, but for him and Robert to stay their for me, I really respect and appreciate them both. I will do my business no were else but Zerolift.

Thank to all the guys at Zerolift,
Scott Hall

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1995 Nissan 240SX SE 2JZ w/R154

yokotavia

I ordered a 1j swap from zerolift, through mike on may 3, 2011. It has been 27 days and I have yet to receive even a tracking number. I am NOT happy at all

Item purchased: 1jz front sump engine with supra type r154

Communication: numerous phone calls and PMs

Shipping: from zerolift to Panama City, Florida

Cost of purchase: $2050 (Shipped and including paypal fees)

Items purchased:
- jzx90 engine
- OEM turbos, manifold
- jzx90 ECU,
- jzx90 Engine Harness
- a70 r154 supra transmission
- clutch, and all the sensors


Im having doubts in zerolift, I have called alot and sent a few PMs with no answer on when my engine swap will be shipped.
I have opened a paypal dispute as of yesterday which hopefully will be some incentive to ship the items I have paid for. If not I will be filing a claim through paypal.

I hope they get this situation figured out. Im just tired of waiting on my swap.

__________________
Banana boat chronicles

BHack3tt

they got my sr swap running right! And they are now putting my coilovers and a couple other things on for me this week. Robert is also great at getting back to you, and answering all of your questions!

dubbs.

Got an RB from them early this year. One of the cleanest RB20s I've ever seen. Runs extremely well and tranny shifts smoothly. There was a mixup with shipping the first time, but it was dealt with very quickly and without much hassle.

This place is the shit. Robert is a boss. I love ZL.

PeaceOnesxWai

Im posting this to get Zilvias attention on my case.

I ordered a EZ-install kit from Zerolift on 8/17/11 and i havent received it still as of this posting. I waited 2 weeks to start asking them where my package was..

Waited till Tuesday... Nothing

I didnt trip and i already knew he didnt send it yet so ill wait for this UPS package.. I was being patient so i didnt bug them for another while..

So i waited another 2 weeks and ive talked with my USPS mailman and my UPS Mailman, they never dont recall dropping off something i wasnt here for or leaving something on my porch. I know them pretty well as i ordered alot of stuff online and they see me quite often. If i dont see them they know better to drop off in my backyard, so i know my package arrives safely.

I ended up putting a dispute on paypal in hopes of getting their attention, but still they didnt reply.

I called Zerolift midweek of late September and asked about my order, they said it should have been there and someone will call me the next day to follow up. Noone called the whole week so now im getting frustrated as my motor is waiting on these parts... i called and Robert is never there, but somehow he is on top of all the forums and replying to everyone else but me. This is a big waste of my time for going with them and its ridiculous for something so small.

Ill update again on my situation until its resolved.

epson1

Representative: Robert
AIM: ZLR0bert
Email: [email protected]

Vendor Information:
Zerolift Autolab
100 Security Dr.
Fairfield, OH 45014
513-874-2508

Item purchased: Blacktop SR20, 1jz w/ R154

I'm going to keep this short. I initially called Zerolift and said I was interested in purchasing 2 motors on Thursday Dec 1st. They quoted me at a great price and I said I'd call back after I shop around more. Later that day Robert calls me telling me they can do them at an even better price, I'm sold.

I call back Monday Dec 5th and place my order at 10am. Unfortunately my credit card will not authorize such a large lump payment. Not wanting to wait 3 days to get these motors moving on their end, I drive 50 miles into town(I live in the middle of no where) to set up another checking account and pick a friend who is purchasing the SR20 up on his lunch break to split the money into 4 payments.

The entire time Robert and the zerolift guys would answer my calls within 3 rings and contact was excellent. My last conversation was with Robert saying how I'd love to have the motors by the end of the week as i'm getting ready to leave for Christmas break. He says he'll see what he can do.

Monday Dec 12th, I haven't received anything from anyone at Zerolift, No emails, phone calls, tracking numbers, but I have checked at payment for 3600.00$ has been taken from my accounts. I call 7 times to finally get someone on the phone to ask if they know anything about where my engines are. Luckily their shipping guy is out till 2 so they will call me back then.

I never received any call

The following day, the 13th, I do the same thing and someone else (Andy? I think) tells me he has my invoice in his hand but no tracking number is on it so he will have to wait for Robert to get back from the machine shop to get some info, He will call me at 2.

I never received any call.

At this point I'm getting fed up because time for me is running short. I called Zerolift 32 times with not a person picking up the line once. I called from multiple numbers but still nothing. I then emailed Robert stating I've called them an excessive amount and i'm just curious where my engines stand. I don't receive anything back. Later that day, OsakaJDMEngines calls me saying they have everything I need for the same price and promised to be delivered to my house by Saturday the 17th, well unfortunately I've already given them my money so what can I do other than email Robert and tell him them I want a refund if I don't hear anything back by the end of the day Thursday.

So here i am, Its 11:09AM CST Thursday the 15th of December. Lets see what happens.

d4rkmus4sh1

Products: S14 SR20DET, Clutch package, Fuel Pump, and Radiator + accessories.

Representative: Robert and Mike

Status of Order: In transit (Bill of Lading received)
Order Est Arrival: Later than expected

Overall Review:
Robert and Mike were always courteous to me on the phone and tried their hardest to work with me during a stressful time.
I was a little disappointed how late my stuff is coming and that I will have to complete my swap in a 24 hour period.
Although there was a lot of misunderstanding we still worked hard together to work out a best solution for everything and
so far I am still a happy customer. Robert always kept me up to date on the status of my parts and what was going on during
and not during business hours. Communication I would say is a good aspect which they normally have. I understand during the
holidays all the workers have families they need to attend to as well and my products I also know aren't as important as seeing family.
Will add more when my products arrive and finish up my review. So far 9/10!

GhostlyCoupe

I ordered a SR20 Motorset from Zerolift today.

I've shopped around extensively and decided on Zerolift. Robert was a much more friendly, talkative salesperson than any of the other importers I dealt with. E-mails were answered promptly.

I'll update periodically about my experience when the engine ships (Might not be until next week on account of the holidays)

nassin31spr

Representative: Robert
AIM: ZLR0bert
Email: [email protected]

Vendor Information:
Zerolift Autolab
100 Security Dr.
Fairfield, OH 45014
513-874-2508

This is my formal review for zerlift.
I purchased a sr20det blacktop engine

I contacted zerolift and had immediate replys the same day though rob by pm on zilvia. He asked that we switch to emails for faster replys. He at the beginning was very imformative and helpful. This is not my first swap I specifically asked for a blacktop s13 that has no modifications and hasnt had the headgasket or any work done to it. Rob told me he had a redtop that had the headgasket done and I told him I wasnt interested. Then he told me he had a clean untouched blacktop and gave me a good price. I said That works and sent the payment black friday, 11/21/11. They took my money. A couple of weeks went by cause of the holidays and I finally got the engine.



As soon as I got the motor home I started to unpack and inspect it. Shipping quality was ok. They took off the maf, clutch, ecu and had it boxed up. I cut the plastic and did an initial inspection. Even though I asked for a unmolested swap. I imediatly noticed the headgasket had been done and replaced with a metal one. I contaced rob and he said this was the cleanest motor and the only blacktop they had even though I asked for one that was not touched. He assured me to throw it in. If I was not happy they would replace the engine.


By flashorlightning at 2012-02-05

By flashorlightning at 2012-02-05

By flashorlightning at 2012-02-05
Picture of the blown out turbo manifold gasket. You could shake the turbo. How do they expect a swap to run with that.

By flashorlightning at 2012-02-05
Valvecover, the oil pan looked worse.

The motor was very dirty. It had tones of carbon deposits in the intake manifold. Ive had 3 other swaps and have never seen one this dirty. They oil pan was destroyed when shipping and zerolift had some how forgot to send the transmission bolts. So I contacted rob and told him they forgot the bolts and I needed a pan. He said he would get one out to me. After 3 weeks went by. I called and emailed and no response I finally got a hold of rob and he said it was packed up and ready to ship. After another week I called again and he said it was going out that day. By then it was a month that went by and a week before christmas and I still didnt have the bolts or a pan. Well it came a week before christmas. I put the engine togeather and put the motor in in 2 days. Got the harness done and replaced the waterpump, belts and thermostate. I got the engine in and ready to go. Went to hook up the maf and low and behold. They sent me the wrong maf sensor.

By flashorlightning at 2012-02-05
This is a maf for an s14 na sr20det.
So furious I called rob and asked for a maf. He said he would imedatly ship one out. After 2 weeks and no maf I kept calling and he kept telling me they didnt have any and would have some this week, then friday, then next week, then friday, then beginning of next week for sure, then friday. After a couple weeks I found one locally for $40 so I bought it. Put it in and the then, Nothing. The car wouldnt turn over. Ive worked on a bunch of sr's so I know they had set the cas timing wrong. If you dont know what your doing its easy to screw it up. So I went ahead and per frsport. Took the valve cover off to set tdc and look at the head bolts and they had used stock headbolts with a cometic headgasket. Its been dont but not very perfessional. I also noticed that they had lost a bunch of the washers for the cam caps. It made me relize they cut a lot of corners. So I talked to rob and he assured me to just get it running. So I reset the timing and it started up the first time. Running extremely ruff. I looked at the ecu and the light stayed on. So I asked a buddy to come over and we hooked up his redtop ecu, a 62. It ran pretty good but rich, We drove it around for a couple of days and I leaned on it to set the rings. Final compression numbers came back around 150psi solid accross the board. I was pretty happy. But up to this point I still had no maf or a working ecu. I contacted rod and eventually his partner mike and they told me week after week they were working on getting me a maf and ecu. It took me a couple of days to find both. Here we are the first week of febuary and they still have not sent me a working maf or ecu. Heres an email where I asked rob about the stock headstuds and the wrong maf and he went and he went to forward my message to another zerolift person and basically called me stupid but mistakenly sent the email to me to. I was pretty furious and insulted.

By flashorlightning at 2012-02-05

So months went by no maf and no working ecu. I finally got fed up and did the research and got it running and hundreds of emails and calls to zerolift. I talked to rob after sending multiple emails to rob and mike and no answer after two weeks I called he said they had no blacktop ecus and had a maf but they were waiting to get me a ecu before they sent the maf. I said ok. I got one anyways and as long as I get an ecu we were even. So I look on zilvia and zerolift is advertising that they have 3 blacktop swaps and have sold one since december. Im fed up with them so I left them negative feedback and wrote this review. I searched google and they have been screwing over people for years this way. They just put you off for 6 months til you go away. Rob and mike have lied to me multiple times. They just want your money and for you to leave them alone.
So after nothing to loose and a running swap I pulled the ecu apart and low and behold.

By flashorlightning at 2012-02-05
The ecu was chipped with a daughter board. Scares me to think that they deal with tons of swaps at zerolift and do this but the techs there took the eprom chips out of the ecu and sent it to me and thought it would work. So I went a head and moved the resisitor to put it back to a stock ecu and it works perfect now.
I just hope that some people read this and think twice. I wish I had driven a couple of hours and picked my motor out so I know what Im getting. Zerolift treats their locals well but they will screw anyone who orders a motor from them and has it shipped. Think twice its not worth going though all the stuff I went though. I no longer trust zerolift, mike or rob.

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"Home is where the armor is"

epson1

Just an update- Mike informed me I will not be receiving my engines this month. THEY WONT EVEN SHIP THIS YEAR. 18 working business days since I've placed my order.
22 business days in December. I don't know what kind of stupid long vacations you take at Zero lift. but obviously they're a lot longer than the ones I get to be able to afford engines that do not arrive.

I emailed Robert about getting some free swag like a T shirt or stickers but he won't even reply to those emails too.

GhostlyCoupe

Here's my update:

I ordered an SR20 on the 20th.

Was told it would ship on the 27th or 28th. Motor has still not shipped .

I am patiently waiting for this to be resolved.

Killa_D

purchased a s14 sr20det from Robert, asked allot of questions which he replied so why not. The motor came in as promised but was missing allot of important parts, (maf, coilpack cover, oil stick, ignitor and a few other parts). Called right of way told Robert what was up he said he would take of it. A month goes by and still nothing, I call again and he said to please email him what im missing. So i do weeks go by and i call and he tells me he never got the email. So i sat there like WTF i resent the email again and made him wait till he told he received it. Its been almost 7 months and still nothing i stop trying mainly because its pointless and seriously would tell everyone to stay way...

terrence

I got a s14 sr about 1.5 years ago from them. Came with no ecu, t25 instead of t28, about half the exhaust studs where broken, and the motor was seized and had rust in the cylinder walls.

I did get an ecu, but it was fried..

Would not recommend.

GhostlyCoupe

They still could be a good vendor, I'm reserving judgement until Robert is back from vacation and able to remedy the situation.

I'm posting the facts and only the facts as they come.

I'm hoping that by next Tuesday I'll be able to tell everyone that ZeroLift has fixed everything and I have a Bill of Lading showing my engine is on the way.

SexOnWax

Zerolift was the first company in my area that responded to my request for a quote on a complete SR20 motor and transmission set installed in my S14 along with some minor bolt-ons and a tune. Robert was very prompt in responding to me, knowledgable regarding any technical questions I had, and even took the time to call me personally to discuss the project. After putting together a list of parts I wanted installed, negotiating with pricing and scheduling a day to drop my car off, I agreed to have Robert and his team proceed with the swap. Money was put down for the cost of parts and I was told that my car would be ready in two weeks. I took the four hour road trip and dropped my car off on April 29th. The Zerolift headquarters was an impressive outfit with a warehouse area full of countless JDM engines and a spacious garage with at least three other 240s being worked on as well as Z32 awaiting an RB26 swap. Back then, I didn't think it was odd that there so many cars being worked on at the same time. More importantly, how long have they all been sitting there?

I woke up early morning October 8th to pick up my car. Yes, six whole months went by. Summer came and went and the $1200 upfront entry fee for my autocross club was wasted and nonrefundable because I had no car to compete with. I'm told that delays were caused by many factors like their local machine shop taking too long in reworking the head, shipping of parts, engine reassembly, key staff members breaking their hand, and dynos breaking on them while tuning. No project ever goes according to plan, which I was expecting especially with a project of this size but unfortunately, my car was one of the rare cases where things didn't seem to go right. There was also an incredible lack of communication on their part. I was more than patient with them during the six months but in return, their communication was few and far between. I never could get a straight answer on when I could pick my car up and was left guessing with each passing weekend.

As tempting as it was to post a rant here on Zilvia (and I did threaten to at one point), I thought it was only fair to wait and see the finish product before making any remarks about the company. Fortunately, the end result was well worth it. The motor is running strong so far with a very neat engine bay and interior. The extra work they put into the head and internals would've easily ran another $2000 in parts and labor but they did it at no additional cost to make up for the long delay. The turbo they recommended (Tomei ARMS M7960) has also been working very well so far. Despite the set backs, I might still consider doing business with them again. The quality of the work speaks for itself but unfortunately, the long delay and poor communication prevents me from rating this experience much higher than I could. I sincerely hope that no one else has to go through this kind of experience with their project but hopefully they will learn from their mistakes.

GhostlyCoupe

Another week and no update. Once again I'm left wondering instead of someone from ZeroLift contacting me.

I'll give it one more day.

Tick-tock.

Project3328

Just ordered a clutch from these guys. Clutch came exactly how it was described, communication was perfect and shipping came without any problems through the holidays. Thanks guys

GhostlyCoupe

Got a call from Mike today while I was at work. He stated the engine will go out tonight.

If I can get a copy of the bill of lading or tracking info tomorrow I'll be pretty stoked.

epson1

I got the same call, said he'd email me a tracking number by 7pm. Well will see what happens...

s13 loverr

Wow, really seems like luck of the draw here.

To help contribute to this thread I bought an aluminum driveshaft from them a few months back. They helped me with everything I needed. They gave me options for steal, carbon fiber, aluminum, weights, and prices. I was always responded to very quickly and every one of my questions was answered. I received my driveshaft a week later with no damage. Thanks Zerolift!

GhostlyCoupe

I wouldn't waste my time with these guys.

I ordered on the 20th of December. Long story short, it hadn't even been loaded into a truck on January 5th. These guys clowned around for 2 weeks making excuse after excuse about why it had not even been shipped yet, and telling me each time I called that "it would be shipped tomorrow".

I ended up getting my money back because they were completley unable to even get the thing into a truck within a month of ordering. Rediculous. The company is legit and won't run off with your money, but don't plan on them getting you anything on short notice.

SLiDe_WaYz

Positive experience from me both times, ordered by phone, got everything in about 7-9 days came on a palet wrapped in black plastic with metal bands on it, and then in a box was the ignitor, ecu, maf, and o2 sensor.

My experience is positive, great communication and service. The motor had corrosion on it but other than that it appears to be in good condition.
( it was a S14 SR20DET Blacktop )

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shiftdrift

zerolift sells i'd say 30 or 40 engines if not more a month. i can vouch for them as i've been there a couple times and have bought parts off of them with no problem. they even go out of their way for you. they host the biggest weekly event in the midwest during the summer/fall months.

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SW Fab

slim

ordered a ctr strut bar from them. emails and tracking was sent in a timely manner. product was as described. very happy with service. will most likely be getting a motorset from them after taxes so we will see how that goes.

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07 ugm STi-07 titan se-99 civic si sold-92 sil coupe-89 240 hatch

i need tires

Have order hrmmm 4 motors from ZeroLift no issues at all parts got damaged during shipping and they replaced with no issues and shipped at their expensive. Each motor has ran with no problem still running to this day.

I highly recommend purchasing a motor from them they sell about 90 motors/mo this number itself speaks more than enough on the quality and great communication they have with their customers.

Also keep in mind fellas Zerolift also supplies a lot of shops that claim to be getting them directly from Japan this is the reason Zerolift offers the best pricing because there is no middle man with them and no BS to deal with you deal right with the importer and not someone that claims to be bringing in the motors.

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JadeCantDrift Blogspot

i need tires

Just ordered my EvoX Seibon Rear Diffuser from ZL, great service communication. Thanks again Robert

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JadeCantDrift Blogspot